Great Britain has long been held as the shining example of what can be accomplished via gun control. Handgun ownership is all but unheard of and rifles and shotguns are tightly controlled and citizens require a "good reason" to be issued a permit to own one. Historically, self-defense has not been considered a good enough reason.
Now, the Daily Mail reports that while law abiding citizens have been nearly universally disarmed, the criminals have not and flaunt their power. According to the Mail, "the level of violent crime in Britain has risen by 70 per cent. Gun crime is up by more than half and there are more than 100 serious knife crimes each day, with fatal stabbings having reached the highest level on record."
There are many explanations offered for the rise in crime, family breakdown, devaluing of marriage, welfare as a way of life, increasing unemployment, increasing drug use, and the rise in power of street gangs. Despite this blunt portrayal, they failed to note one important thing... that disarmed citizens are at the mercy of the criminal element.
They say that "carrying weapons is becoming the norm," but not by the law abiding. Only the criminals have the weapons because the government gave everyone a choice: be a disarmed victim living your life at the mercy of the lawless or become lawless yourself. Sadly, they now must reap what they sowed.
Meanwhile, in the United States, North Carolina state Senator R.C. Soles reportedly shot a man who broke into his home. The 72-year-old Senator was forced to defend himself after discovering the intruder, who had broken into the Senator's home before. The intruder is recovering in a hospital.
In other news, it appears that the issue of Incorporation of the Second Amendment is headed to the Supreme Court of the United States. Conflicting lower court opinions regarding whether or not the guaranteed protections of the Second Amendment apply to state governments as well has set up a scenario for issue moving to the high court.
In Delaware, Ohio, police have arrested a suspect in the Black Wing Shooting Center burglary from last week. David Wise Jr. has been charged with breaking and entering and police say they have other suspects as well. At least some of the $50,000 worth of items stolen were recovered.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has announced a trial program for a new web-based Hunter Access system. This online system attempts to match up private property owners with licensed hunters to more effectively manage game and increase hunting access.
The program is being tested for Harrison, Jefferson, Tuscarawas and Carroll counties and only for deer hunting currently. After a two year trial, agencies involved will evaluate the effectiveness and determine whether to continue or expand the program.
Comments
"...rise in crime, family breakdown, devaluing marriage, welfare as a way of life, increasing unemployment, increasing drug use, and the rise in power of street gangs". Democratic platform, no?
"Democratic platform, no?..." more like fascist. If free and liberated people are to be put under tyranny, take their fundamental rights of individuality (free speech, self defence)away to keep them dependent on "government protection" (more like lack thereof) George Orwell must be turning in his grave.
Having lived in the US, the UK and the Netherlands (the latter two having made firearms illegal save for a small percentage) I can honestly say that I always felt most cause for alarm for my safety whilst residing in the USA.
Secondly, the Daily Mail is one of the most sensationalist tabloid newspapers in the UK and is known to 'massage' figures to create headlines. Most crime statistics for the UK are considerably below the US (there's actually an article on the bbc today which compares crime in Baltimore to similar sized English cities Liverpool & Manchester).
Also, according to several sources most violent crime statistics have dropped in the last decade. Save for knife crime related to gangs in poor inner city areas, which whilst unfortunate doesn't affect the majority of the population.
Crime rates generally have gone down considerably in since the 1970s in the UK, and the murder rate is three times higher in the states than in the UK.
[I wanted to send you links to statistics but this comment thing won't let me]
But then again, those of you who desperately defend your right to own guns are immune to statistics.
The Daily Mail is not a real newspaper, and should not be taken as such.
Heh. The bans haven't stopped yet. A year or two ago, we banned replica guns except for various groups, thanks to the Gun Control Network.
They're whining that groups like Airsoft got to keep theirs, and even brought up the "they can fire live rounds!" lie again.
This is the group that not only got guns banned here, but assaulted one of their opponents.
I guess you're lucky in both regards: You have less violent opposition and you have far more sensible gun laws.
Amazed- I noticed that you very carefully skirted around the knife issue in the U.K. Is it because you know that not having guns available the criminals are now using knives to rob, murder and rape? That knife attacks (and violence in general) are way up in the UK since the gun ban and that the UK routinely fudges the violence statistics by not counting large city crime rates in order to make it seem that their crime rate is lower that the United States?
Violent crime is significantly higher in the UK than in the US, and is that way for all violent crime categories save murder and rape. The BBC article cited above verifies this.
The gap between the US murder rate and that of the UK has been narrowing for more than a decade. It was not that long ago that the US rate exceeded the UK rate by a factor of nine-- and now it is three. Since the UK adopted a policy of enforced helplessness, the UK has gotten far more dangerous.
How about comparing Manchester to Mesa, Arizona instead of Baltimore? Mesa is a lot more similar demographically. The BBC article cited above places the murder rate of Manchester at 34 per 458,100, or 7.4 per 100,000. The most recent murder rate for Mesa that I have (2005) was 6.4 per 100,000. That's in gun-friendly Arizona, where anyone (other than convicted criminals or those adjudicated incompetent) can carry a loaded handgun openly and where it's relatively easy to get a permit to do so concealed.
The 2nd amendment isnt about self defense. Its a right our forefathers granted to protect against tyranny in government.....
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
Thomas Jefferson
I wonder what our forfathers would think have to say about our elitist anti gun President?
Wow that web-based Hunter Access system sounds like a great idea!
P99 You're comments regarding Mesa, Arizona surely reinforce my point. Mesa, for lack of knowledge is a relatively average place in terms of crime statistics in the US? correct? or possibly a relatively crime free place...i don't know you reasons for choosing Mesa other than it's demographically similar to Manchester (which demographics?). Meanwhile Manchester and Liverpool are the two most violent cities (per population head) in the UK yet they rate only marginally worse than the city you quote.
Secondly you even admit in your own statement that Murder and rape rates in the US are higher. surely these are the two worst types of violent crime?
Egad, we have always had very strict gun laws in the UK so to suggest that things have worsened since the gun ban solely because of the further tightening of restrictions is ludicrous...there has been only marginal alteration to the law in the last 50 years. We as a whole have been a gun free society for many decades.
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